Urban Animals of Brooklyn

Urban Animals of Brooklyn by Isabel Hill

It is so important to forge an early connection between children and their borough's architecture; this builds pride for where they live, which is the necessary foundation of any community. I want my photography to get children to look at architecture in new ways by revealing the hidden, the whimsical and the unexpected about their own blocks. As they are introduced to these "urban animals," the forms of which live on buildings all around Brooklyn, I hope to sharpen their eyes and make them proud of what they see at home.

Architecture and neighborhood preservation have been sustaining interests for me. For several years, I have been conducting neighborhood tours of school-age children to teach them about architecture in the hope that they will recognize the uniqueness of their area and invest themselves in efforts to make it cleaner, safer and more beautiful.

--Isabel Hill

Isabel Hill is a photographer, architectural historian, urban planner and award-winning documentary filmmaker. Her photographs have appeared in BKLYN, Historic Preservation, and Metropolis amongst others. She is a principal in Building History Associates, a small company specializing in reports, photographs, and documentary films on architecture and urban issues.